Opening May 2013
Allison Smith: Rudiments of Fife & Drum
May 27 to September 2, 2013
Smith's work explores the complex relationship between handcraft, national identity, and social and political activism in American history. She will re-establish a site for community engagement in "Old Hundred," the Museum's historic administration building, during a three-month residency inspired by Connecticut's central role in the development of American fife & drum music. Old Hundred, a landmark of Ridgefield's historic district named for its role as a general store, bank, and post office from 1783 through 1883, abuts the site of a Revolutionary War battle. Smith's project will focus on eighteenth and nineteenth century New England drum manufacturing and performance traditions, and the drum's role in communication, commerce, entertainment, and war. The transformation of Old Hundred involves the creation of a "period room" that functions as space for public programing related to the exhibition, including workshops, performances, and meetings. This exhibition is curated by Aldrich exhibitions director Richard Klein.
Above: Fife & drum muster, Westbrook, Connecticut, 2012
Opening June 2013
Legacy: Photographs from the Emily Fisher Landau Collection
Richard Artschwager, Matthew Barney, Keith Cottingham, Lynn Davis, Philip-Lorca diCorcia, John Dugdale, Nan Goldin, Rodney Graham, Robert Longo, Vera Lutter, Robert Mapplethorpe, Abelardo Morell,
Shirin Neshat, Victoria Sambunaris, Lorna Simpson, Kiki Smith, and Hiroshi Sugimoto
June 8 to September 2, 2013
The Aldrich Contemporary Art Museum is pleased to present a selection of significant photographs by some of the most influential artists of our time. This focused exhibition is an iteration of the Whitney Museum of American Art's Legacy: The Emily Fisher Landau Collection, which showcased an historic collection of works—diverse in media—promised to the institution by their long-time supporter. The Aldrich has chosen twenty photographs that highlight Ms. Fisher Landau's enterprising vision and enduring commitment to contemporary artists, often from the start of their careers. Legacy: Photographs from The Emily Fisher Landau Collection is organized in collaboration with the Whitney Museum of American Art and is curated at The Aldrich by executive director Alyson Baker and exhibitions director Richard Klein.
Above: Matthew Barney, CREMASTER 3: 1967 Chrysler Imperial, 2002
Chromogenic print in self-lubricating plastic frame
Whitney Museum of American Art, New York; promised gift of the Fisher Landau Center for Art, New York. © Matthew Barney
Opening Fall 2013
Music
September 22, 2013, to March 9, 2014
The Aldrich will dedicate a semester of exhibitions to an exploration of the way contemporary artists incorporate music in their work. The twentieth century witnessed music moving into the gallery and museum environments through the work of artists such as Wassily Kandinsky, Piet Mondrian, John Cage, Yoko Ono, Andy Warhol, and Laurie Anderson. Today, the relationship between the visual and the auditory disciplines has become more complex as artists increasingly look to music as inspiration, subject, and object. Rather than focusing exclusively on experimental forms and media, this series of exhibitions will also encompass more traditional approaches, such as painting, drawing, photography, and sculpture.
